Our Staff & Faculty
We are proud of our dedicated staff. Many of our teachers have been at MCH for more than ten years. Several of our teachers for twenty or more years. Our staff come from all over the world, and in addition to English, speak the following languages: Albanian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Spanish, Urdu, Mandarin, and Turkish.
Alison
Children's House Lead & Extended Day Director
Alison grew up in Chicago but enjoyed her high school and college years in Madison and has a B.A. from Edgewood College in Spanish Education. Alison also has her Masters ED degree and AMS Montessori credentials from University of Wisconsin: River Falls. She is also an adjunct professor for the UW River Falls Montessori Teacher Education Program. She teaches Literacy Foundations to other aspiring Montessori educators. Alison enjoys sharing her love for the language area and Montessori education with adult learners. She enjoys being outdoors, cooking and spending time with her family and 2 children. She joined the MCH family in 2013 and loves encouraging the children through the philosophy Maria Montessori has set forth.
Derek
Montessori Outdoor Coordinator
Derek was born and raised in Madison. He graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater with a degree in sociology and a minor in psychology. With a child on the way, he decided to take classes which focused on child psychology. Upon graduation, he followed his daughter to a Montessori school and became an assistant in a preschool classroom. After two years of being an assistant, Derek came to MCH in 1999 to lead the Afternoon Program. After received his Montessori teacher training, he became a lead teacher in the preschool.
Havva
Afternoon Program Director
Originally from Bulgaria, Havva has a degree in architecture. She has lived in Madison since 1992 and is the proud mother of 2 young men who are currently in college. Like so many Montessori educators, she discovered her love of Montessori after sending her child to MCH. Her personal experience as a Montessori parent, in addition to her many years working in the classroom, help to guide her as our Afternoon Program Lead Teacher since 2009. Havva pioneered the "Around the World" unit that continually runs throughout the school year in the Afternoon Program in which she guides the class through a variety of cultural projects that enhance each child's understanding of our beautiful and diverse world.
Jim grew up in Madison and like so many Montessori educators, he stumbled across the Montessori philosophy/curriculum and fell in love with it. Jim received training after working as an assistant with Kerri and Phyllis for many years at MCH. He then worked as a lead teacher in both the morning preschool and the Afternoon Program. He has also spent lots of time in the Toddler Program and has enjoyed facilitating playground and building improvements. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from Edgewood College and is currently the Administrative Director. He is married to Laura (Director) and has three children who have attended and thrived at MCH. Jim has worked at MCH since 1995 and takes great pride in the MCH community of educators, both paid and parental. He also appreciates that it is so often the children who teach us.
Kerri
Montessori Teacher Retired after nearly 40 years at MCH Congrats Kerri!!!
Kerri attended middle school and high school in Kalamazoo, Michigan, but spent 4 years in Minnesota at St. Olaf college, where she studied music education and enjoyed soloing and touring with the choir. She pursued her interest in singing by participating in the Madison Opera Company for a few years. As a musician who plays multiple instruments, she has learned a lot over the years about how to approach music with young children and the many benefits of a rich music program. In addition to music, Kerri enjoys creating and maintaining gardens. She began her Montessori career in Chicago where she was an assistant for 2 years while taking her teacher training. She started at MCH as an assistant in 1980. The next year she was hired as a directress and has been at MCH ever since.
Laura
MCH Director & Montessori Toddler Program Teacher
Laura has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Performance from the University of Wisconsin Madison. She came to MCH as an assistant teacher in 1990, new to the Montessori Method. She was inspired by the philosophy and pursued Montessori teacher training at the Montessori Education Center of the Rockies. She received her AMS Infant/Toddler credential in 1994. Laura has been the Toddler Lead since 1994 and in 2005 also became the MCH Director. During the past thirty years, Laura has also taught Kindermusik ®, private piano lessons, and served as a church musician. She and her husband Jim (MCH Administrative Director) have three children and in their spare time love to canoe camp, bike, garden and play music. Laura loves the community feel at MCH and sees the school as her second home.
Nurtene is from Kosova (former Yugoslavia) and received her Science of Teaching degree from College-Prishtina-Kosova. She taught for 3 years at Prishtina-Elena Giika and has been teaching at MCH since 2000. Nurtene is fluent in several languages. She brings with her a wealth of cultural knowledge and an understanding of the needs of children and families.
Phyllis
Retired Montessori Lead Teacher/Art Teacher at MCH
Phyllis grew up in North Dakota and graduated from Jamestown College with a BS Degree in Elementary Education. She taught first grade for six years in West Bend, WI. When her first child was born she assisted in starting a new Montessori School and worked as assistant, parent, and board member. She got her Montessori training from MATTC in Chicago in 1982 and took over as teacher and Director. She moved to Sheboygan and owned a Montessori School for eight years before moving to Madison. She has been teaching pre-school and elementary Montessori ever since (mostly at MCH). She had all four of her children in her classes as well as her two grandchildren. Her daughter is also a Montessori teacher, so it runs in the family.
I recently moved to the USA. Originally from Pakistan, I have done my bachelors in Sociology and Education. I also received my Montessori diploma from AMI. I have about 20 years of experience working in Montessori and am a proud parent and grandparent of 3 children and 4 grandchildren.